Ethiopia Completing Expansion Of Six Airports

he Ethiopian Airport Enterprise (EAE) says it will complete its expansion of six airports, including Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, in the current Ethiopian fiscal year.EAE Chief Executive Officer Tewodros Dawit told journalists here Tuesday that 90 per cent of the expansion work on the airports in Shire, Semera, Robe, Jinka, and Hawassa had already been completed.

Some 25 per cent of the expansions of Bole International Airport, the country’s main international aviation gateway, and 75 per cent of civil engineering work there had so far been finalized, according to Tewodros.

When the airport becomes fully operational after the completion of the expansion works, it will be handle 22 million passengers a year compared with the current 8.5 million, he said.

He added that the EAE had also renovated the Gambella, Nekemte and Lalibela airports during the previous fiscal year.

Tewodros further revealed that the EAE, which reported a profit of 500 million Birr (about US$23 million) in the last financial year, was still not generating sufficient income from non-aeronautical services and would be working hard to boost such earnings during the next five years.